Head coach Will Muschamp of the Florida Gators (3-2, 2-2 SEC) met with the media on Monday as his team continues to recover from its latest loss while preparing for the Missouri Tigers (4-2, 1-1 SEC) on Saturday evening. Florida will host Mizzou at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida; kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the agme will air live nationally on ESPN2.

INTRODUCING THE TWO-QUARTERBACK SYSTEM

In what was likely to be the original plan last week against LSU, Muschamp confirmed Monday that Florida will employ a two-quarterback system this week against Missouri with redshirt junior Jeff Driskel likely to take the first snaps in the contest.

“They both will play this week. We’ll work through the week and see how things go. We’ll see how it goes there,” he said. “Right now, Jeff would probably start, but they’re both going to play.”

Driskel, who learned of his demotion to part-time player when Muschamp made the announcement, said he has no qualms with the decision because he knows he needs to pick up his play going forward. Freshman Treon Harris, of course, will be the other signal caller taking reps with Driskel.

“Treon and I are both going to work hard this week. We’re both going to work for each other. We’re both going to hope that the other person does well when they’re in. Obviously we think that’s something that’s going to help the team, so if it will help the team win, I’m all for it,” Driskel said. “The guys have confidence in Treon, but I think they have confidence in me as well. It’s not going to divide the team or anything.”

Muschamp said Harris spent his first day fully back with the team on Monday. He is confident that Harris will be able to rebound after a tough week and help the team against Mizzou, explaining what it is about Harris that makes him a special player.

“[He is] a guy that has shown the ability to make some plays, to take the ball in the right spots, accurate with his passes, has a certain confidence about him. I think that’s been something I’ve seen and noticed throughout his opportunities, though limited in games. In practice, that’s something that really jumps out at you, his playmaking ability to be able to make those things happen,” Muschamp explained.

“He’s got a certain persona about himself. That’s why I think… his last two years at Booker T. [Washington High School], he was 30-0. That tells you something about him. He’s a winner and he certainly has a persona about him.”

In the end, Driskel said he is most concerned with playing better and giving the Gators a chance to win Saturday’s game. He also does not think splitting reps with Harris will hurt the chemistry inside Florida’s locker room and believes UF continues to progress each week on that side of the ball.

“If we just put together everything in one game, things are going to start going our way and we’re going to be just fine. We just got to stay together, stay the course and keep getting better as the season goes along,” he said. “I think we’re close. As an offense, I think we’re close, had some nice plays in the game. Just a couple mistakes that cost us late and it’s stuff that we can get corrected. We’re going to stay together. We’re a close-knit group. That’s all we can do.”

HOW FLORIDA HANDLED A (SEEMINGLY) SERIOUS INJURY

A fan letter, which criticizes Muschamp for coaching up the Gators and the team not taking a knee while junior wide receiver Latroy Pittman was being tended to on the field (while, conversely LSU’s entire team was down on one knee watching Pittman), has made its rounds recently and stirred up a minimal amount of controversy.

Muschamp was asked to address the situation on Monday, and he explained that his additional knowledge of Pittman’s status allowed him to move forward while the player was being tended to on the field.

“The information [was] relayed to me immediately that he had movement and they felt like he was [being treated for] precautionary reasons, that he was going to be fine. We took that time, and we have not instructed our players to take a knee in those situations, any time someone gets hurt we don’t always know the severity of the injury or the situation. That’s not something we’ve done anywhere I’ve been that we’ve ever done,” he explained.

“We were trying to preview the next set of downs for our defense, and we were also trying to get our situation ready for a field goal block after I had received the information that Latroy was fine. I went over to make sure he was fine. I looked at Latroy, Latroy said he was fine. I talked to our training staff, they said he was fine, thought everything was going to be fine. That’s the situation.”

Pittman was released from the hospital Saturday night and listed by Muschamp on Monday as “day to day.” Though “everything’s come out fine” on tests done to Pittman, the trainers are doing some additional testing before allowing the player to begin physical activity. Muschamp said there’s a “good possibility” he plays this weekend.

INJURY UPDATES

Junior running back Matt Jones, who began last week with knee swelling but left the game due to an ankle injury he suffered during practice, was listed by Muschamp as “probable” for Saturday’s game. He is expected to return to practice on Wednesday.

Redshirt senior defensive tackle Leon Orr, on the other hand, is still dealing with knee issues after having arthroscopic surgery done on the joint a few weeks ago and is once again questionable for the Mizzou contest.

Sophomore cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III (head) and junior left tackle D.J. Humphries (knee) were both injured against LSU, but each should be fine for the next game with projected return dates on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

PLAYER EVALUATIONS

» Muschamp on redshirt freshman DT Caleb Brantley‘s steady improvement: “I think that the first thing is that he’s a very disruptive player. He’s got a very good first step for a 310-12 pound guy. Caleb’s biggest issue is just consistency in his performance, consistently doing it well, consistently playing with great effort. There’s no question he’s extremely talented, he’s a very talented guy. He can hold the point. For a big guy to have the movement skill he has, certainly God’s blessed him with a lot of ability. A lot of times, whether we’ve in a movement situation up front or he’s playing technique up front, being able to get in the backfield and be disruptive and making the ball run east-west is sometimes, for me, good enough. Now, I’d like him to make the tackle also, but when you’re being disruptive in the run game, it’s very helpful.”

» Muschamp on sophomore WR Ahmad Fulwood seeing additional playing time on Saturday: “He played a lot more this past Saturday and he’ll continue to.”

» Muschamp on junior defensive back Brian Poole struggling once again: “Brian, disappointed with the lack of communication at times, had some eye-control issues at times. We got lost on a couple bootlegs on the backside that didn’t hurt us but certainly could have. Brian’s a good self-evaluator, and he knows what he needs to do to improve.”

» Muschamp believes junior linebacker Antonio Morrison played the best football game of his career Saturday night, and he finished with a career- and team-high 14 tackles on the evening. In fact, Muschamp thinks Morrison is finally turning the corner with his best performances coming over the last two weeks.

» Muschamp on getting redshirt senior Andre Debose more involved on offense: “We’ve got to utilize him more on what we call the ‘go’ situations, where we bring the motions and still run the inside zone, so everybody doesn’t know what’s happening. … There’s no question Andre’s a very explosive playmaker, and [we should be] getting him more involved at times.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Muschamp on the crowd in The Swamp vs. LSU: “Our crowd last Saturday was amazing. They did a great job of helping us in that ballgame, certainly creating some confusion for the other team’s offense. We certainly appreciate that and are going to need it again Saturday night.”

» Muschamp on dropped passes and whether wide receiver coach Chris Leak is somewhat to blame: “Kurt Roper runs our passing game. That’s something during the interview process and talking to him, that he was going to have a large say-so and control over. That’s something that he does, and he does an outstanding job. We can’t catch [the ball] for [the wide receivers].”

» Muschamp on the pace of Florida’s offense and not using more tempo on Saturday: “The issue we’re getting into is third down. You’ve got to be able to convert and stay on the field. You want to go tempo? I want to go fast, too. But if you’re not getting first downs, going fast doesn’t help your football team. You’ve got to be able to maintain possession and stay on the field. When you’re able to get a first down, generally and even the big tempo teams, that’s when they go tempo, after they get a first down. The chains are moving and they’re going tempo and they’re going fast. We have that plan. But when you’re 2-for-12 on third down, it doesn’t help you go fast.”

59 Comments

Chemistry within the locker room should never be an issue. As one commenter here said recently: you play for the logo on the helmet; you play for your school. If you are giving less than 100% effort on every play, then you are part of the problem.

Agreed. A new QB can give a spark, but once that feeling wears off, they still have to play at 100%. Look at what happened with Murphy last year. He came in and had a great showing because it seemed everyone was playing harder. But eventually it all caught up to them. Time will tell if Treon can be the leader this team needs.

So coach says both QBs will play, let’s hope so. He also said Kelvin Taylor needs more touches. That was after he left Taylor sitting on the bench in the second half against LSU. Then he said DeBose is a playmaker and needs to be used more. Yet he played only special teams in that same second half.
Incredibly the East is still for the taking, all we need to do is win every single SEC East game.
Maybe the WRs will not drop balls thrown by Harris and maybe we will “clean up” those communication problems in the secondary once and for all. I mean it cannot be so hard to defend a 3rd and 25 can it?
Driskel’s time is up right now at best he should share snaps with Harris, at worst he should be replaced entirely(worse for him). Muschamp is on a week to week basis right now, he has to win the Mizzou game, has to.
There is still hope.
Go Gators!

It’s not so much tht LSU completed a pass on third and 25, it was the ease in which it was done. Last year FSU faced a third and 26 and converted also. But it was a great play, with a ball placed in the only place it could have been by a quarterback who has a howitzer for a arm. I don’t know who was at fault. Muschamp said one guy screwed up. Either it was Poole releasing Dural because he thought he’d have safety help or it was Neal twiddling his thumbs in the center of the field and not being in position to make a play. I’d feel better if it was the latter, because it would be very dumb to leave a guy like Poole out on an island by himself with the game on the line. Hargreaves? You take your chances, but Poole has never been a good cover corner. I know it appeared that it was Poole that Muschamp threw under the bus, but if true, the Gators are very bad coaches on defense as well.

Given the lack of experience in our secondary, I think Durkin has actually adjusted the defense well since the Alabama game. That blown play in the secondary seemed like it was completely on the player. Both the safety and the corner were in position to make the stop BUT one of them moved in the wrong direction when BOTH moved to the center instead of one moving outside with the receiver.

so one blown play was on the player. assuming I accept that, how about all of the 10+ yard runs over and over? You don’t think maybe some adjustment might be made to limit that or is that all on the player too?

You can blame Durkin for that. Personally, I think it was a good O-line with a big, hard to tackle running back. Towards the end of the game, we were able to stop most of those runs, but there were quite a few we didn’t stop. That’s fair to blame Durkin for that, but I don’t think that’s what led to us losing a game we effectively should have won. It was the dumb mistake on defense, and the 3 turnovers, and the dropped ball in the endzone that lost that game for us.

The only time LSU’s run game really killed us with points on the board was after turnovers.

Harris should Play more so should Kelvin Taylor and Adam Lane should play more and should have played more vs LSU and Jones Injury…. No one in the Coaching Staff can convince me why they kept Kelvin Taylor, Mack Brown, and Adam Lane are left on the Sideline is Unexcusable

A man will do anything once his job is on the line. That is true even in Muschamp’s case, even as stubborn as he is. If he had it his way Driskel would remain the full-time starting QB, but with the pressure of the Gator Nation and his job on the line he has no choice but to let Treon play. I just hope he doesn’t set Treon up for failure with the play calls. Also, us Gator fans needs to also realize that Treon is a true freshman with little experience. He is technically still a teenager, and is by no means superman. Yes he’s a good player but he is a 5’10 QB with very little experience playing in the toughest and most physical conference in all of college football.

He wouldn’t have started, WM said as much, he isn’t going to go that far away from his golden boy, he would have played, though, but of course, as soon as he made any mistake Driskel probably would have been back in as he would have pleased the fans and still “Driskel gives us the best chance to win”

His stubbornness will cost him the job, that on top of a lot of really bad decisions. At this rate we’ll win 5-6 games this year. If you can’t beat a down LSU team at home, who are we going to beat? Vandy? All we have to do is win all of the SEC East games left and we go to Atl. Come on, is that realistic??

Looking on the bright side, we could be 1-4 if not for some lenient clock watching by the ref’s! How pissed would we all be if that was the case!!

After 5 minutes or so of Pittman being on the ground many in the crowd started yelling for the Gators to take a knee. LSU outclassed the Gators, and went to wish Pittman well as he left the field, unlike the Gators. Image matters and this coach doesn’t get it. After the game they blew off the band playing the Alma Mater. Under Muschamp they show up to be serenaded after victory and blow the band off after losses. Coaching matters. Image matters. Muschamp doesn’t get it and doesn’t care. I guess he only wants to be judged on wins and losses.

You’re right, David. And, Muschamp shouldn’t want to be solely judged on wins. One commenter has written it here before: our coach is simply in over his head. He doesn’t address the little things (that matter) because he’s overwhelmed with trying to manage the basics. He hasn’t surrounded himself with the best because the best either don’t want to be here, or Muschamp doesn’t feel like he can control them. Our players continue to make stupid mistakes and we continue to get foolish penalties. Well coached teams play smart, play under control, and play with discipline. I’ve read Mike Jones’ comments about Mullen, and I truly think he is a viable candidate. I wish we hired him years ago.

That might be one of the most powerful comments/observations I’ve read on this site. Yeah, I noticed that too but didn’t think to mention it.

It was weird and a little surreal watching the Gator players go awkwardly running out there to wish Pittman the best only after seeing the LSU players do it. Our poor guys wanted to do the right thing but seemed a little lost. That was a tough and uncomfortable moment to watch.

And, Mr. Geis, if you never take a knee in those situations–when a player is lying motionless after taking a hard hit to the head/neck area–or participate in the obvious spiritual undertakings that the players from LSU were engaged in (i.e. praying), then maybe it’s time you started. If cramping is an issue, then try hydration, potassium, vitamin C and sodium over not taking a knee out of respect for a fallen teammate or opponent.

You’re right he did. But he was trailing other players and never actually made it to Pittman before retreating. Not too much should be read into it, but I did think to myself that it’s just another example of Driskel not being a leader. It’s no wonder the gators struggle when the guy at the most important position on the team is a follower, not a leader. I promise you I’m not piling on, I really did think that at the time and it appeared that the only reason he was out there is because he saw other guys do it. In other word, it probably never occurred to him. I’ve always thought Driskel wasn’t all there, he reminds me of patients after they’ve been medicated. I know that’s cruel, but that’s just the thing that pops into my head when i See Driskel. When you look into his eyes, there’s nothing there.

Yes, the players were shooed away, but that still doesn’t explain why Driskel was not leading, but following his teammates out there. By the way, Driskel’s throw is the reason Pittman was injured in the first place. A good quarterback does not lead his receiver to getting blown up. If you want to know what a good quarterback does, I suggest you read FSU’s Rashad Greene’s comments about how the ball was thrown to him on the game clinching touchdown pass against Oklahoma State.

This is yet another indication of the leadership deficit that exists at FLA right now, on the sidelines and on the field. It’s not one incident, but the body of work that CWM has compiled that shows he just does not have what it takes to be at the helm. You can see it in his eyes whenever controversy hits. And it’s been that way for as long as he’s had the job. Nobody wishes bad things for a guy like him, but the evidence is insurmountable.

Taking is knee is what Pop Warner kids do. HS, college and pro athletes who are going 100% can cramp up or lose focus if they have to take a knee for an extended period of time. Coaches should be using this time to discuss what is next and have their players physically and mentally focused for the next play. Taking a knee doesn’t help the doctors and trainers do their jobs. It only makes parents who sit in the stands feel better. As a high school coach, we NEVER take a knee. We bring the kids together and let the professionals do their job attending to the injury while we did ours preparing the kids.

You and I must be watching different football games. I’ve seen plenty of full grown men professional athletes take a knee and pray for a fallen teammate or opponent, depending on the circumstances and the apparent severity of the injury. They seemed to think that praying was more important under the circumstances than avoiding a cramp or “losing focus.”

Taking a knee with your helmet off is a universally recognized showing of respect and care for a fallen player. He laid motionless for 8 minutes! To say we don’t teach our players to take a knee? Unacceptable.

Not singing the Alma Mater after the game is thumbing your nose at fans and who actually were very vocal and supportive for most of the game and to all the alumni of UF. Unacceptable.

I agree with David – Muschamp doesn’t get it and he never will. I remember when he was first hired how hard he tried to make himself a Gainesville boy. Always talking about going to games and practices. These acts prove that he is NOT a true Gator.

Now these terrible acts may not be fireable offenses, but when you are a lousy coach on top of them, they should seal your fate. I just hope that Foley finds a coach that wins and wins the right way. Go Gators!

This coach has absolutely driven this program into the ground, but sadly, I am convinced thst Foley will retain him at yrs end. This would devastate this program. Come on Bull Gators and let yourselves be heard!!!!

Muschamp continues to say he will fix the things we as fans know have been bad for some time. It doesn’t happen though. It never does. I’d prefer to hear Debose can’t pick up the offense or doesn’t hustle or something. Stop saying he needs touches and then don’t make it happen. Same with Kelvin Taylor. Hello you’re the HEAD COACH. If you want someone to have touches they will. Which is exactly why I believe he’s dumbed down the offense of a 3rd straight OC. Sure, that may be Roper driving the bus, but Muschamp is giving the directions. HE’S GOTTA GO!

This ‘take a knee’ thing is beyond ridiculous, imo. I would think that the entity that is the object of this knee thingy would wonder why you are out there running around trying to knock this kid’s block off, and then when you do you are suddenly concerned about his welfare. “You knocked his block off, you put it back on. Don’t come taking a knee to me.”

As much as I have my doubts about Muschamp, let’s cut him some slack. He knew that the player appeared to be OK, but that they were taking precautions. Pittman was released from the hospital quickly. On this matter, Muschamp was right. Let’s be thankful that everyone was OK.

Likewise, let’s let the season play out. We saw some sparks of greatness and are loaded with freshman talent. We actually have a chance to win a very weak SEC. Last week was roller coaster for the team. By the end of the game, we were without Treon, Jones, and Hargreaves.

If Muschamp wins the SEC East and by some miracle upsets FSU, his critics are going to look foolish.

I like your optimism, but Sparks of greatness, really?! Other than Debose I saw no “greatness” displayed. Are you really happy with where this program is 4 years under Muschamp? Are you happy with the 40th ranked recruiting class as of now? If we set our goals to winning the “very weak SEC East” then I think our priorities are not where they should be.

And I love the “released from the hospital quickly” comment. If a player is down for that long and makes a trip to the hospital, maybe his teammates have some concerns and want to pray and/or show respect. Do you approve of not singing the Alma Mater after the game too?

There are alot of things that I do not like about this season, but I also think that a 8-3 season winning the SEC East is feasible. If we fire him under those circumstances, no coach worth a darn will get anywhere near our program.

Likewise, what is his buyout clause? How much money do we really have in the bank?

You realize Zook was 7-4 (which we will be fortunate to match) and we got Meyer. There are plenty of coaches who would come for the resources that UF has to offer. I’m pretty sure we have “money in the bank” to hire a top-notch coach.

8-3? Love your spirit and optimism, Mike the Red. You are a true believer. I used to be like you. I wish that I still was, but I’ve become jaded by this staff. Maybe I will become a true believer again some day.

I’ve become jaded by Jeff Driskel. This guy cannot put together a whole game. Either he sucks all the time, like he did @ Tennessee or he becomes Jekyll and Hide like the LSU game. Throws a perfect bomb to D Rob to get us back into the game on one play and next series comes back to force a ball and get a player hurt and an INT to lose the game. One good play/throw, then 2 stupid mistakes/turnovers.
I was telling my buddies during the Bama game that we need a 2 QB system and the cue to get Driskel out of the game is right after he makes a good play or throw because that will be followed by 2 stupid plays or turnovers.

How many penalties do Poole have to get. I’ve seen every game he has an hand full of the opponents jersey almost every play. I’m still sick about 3rd and 25. And I’ve said it since the first game if the Driskel plays like a freshman why not play the Freshman. I would hate to win the east only to get dominated by an Ole Miss or Miss St or an Arkansas team that’s playing better then we are. And I’ve seen on every level of ball when a player get hurt to the point it stops the game almost every player is on a knee. Reason is it could/could’ve been me.

I’ll take winning the east and getting beat 55-0 every day of the week, including Sunday. By the way, Arkansas still hasn’t won an SEC game for a long, long time. It does go to show you how’s everything is relative, though. They are happy at losing, and the gators are unhappy with a team that at least wins a couple of conference games. It drives me crazy to hear about how improved a team is that continues to lose. I don’t think Arkansas is going to successful under Bielema. He lost to a vastly overrated team, Alabama, because his team can’t throw the ball. Sooner or later, you have to throw the ball some to win. This isn’t the Big Ten, you’re not just going to run over people in the SEC on a consistent basis.

I am going to communicate with a few others and see if we can get this situation rectified. I for one am tired of the endless apologies and blaming everyone else besides yourself for your shortcomings MUSCHAMP. Pack your bags,you are leaving or my money is.The choice is yours Foley

Michael J. Sorry a 55-0 even on Sunday would be an Aweful way to end a season. And Arkansas played a team that blowed us out to the wire. Think it was like 13-14. I’m not rooting for them I’m saying if we make it to Atlanta playing like we are then it won’t be a good game or showing playing the West teams that’s clearly playing better then Florida right.

We should win the East this year. But haven’t we been saying that the last 4 years ? I do think the East hasn’t been this weak in a long time. We have a golden opportunity. Mathematically Kentucky is in the driver’s seat but they will probably lose against LSU, Miss St, or UGA. Muschamp must win the SEC East and have a good showing in the SEC championship game to retain his job.

Perhaps, but the commenter who said would love to win the east any day then lose 55-0 to some west division team is delusional. If that were to happen and we were to get humiliated in the SEC CG, showing completely uncompetitive, I can’t imagine even Foley would consider that “progress” in what everyone knows is a down SECE with Gurley out for UGA now

Debose should be used the way we used Percy Harvin when he was at UF. With our offensive struggles, he needs to be on the field as much as possible even if he’s not getting the ball. His presence will draw attention of defenses, which will open up opportunities for other guys.

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